THERE’S little that could rival the excitement of a World Cup penalty shootout but last week Flight Of The Conchords rose to the task.

As Harry Kane and the boys battled on a field in Russia, Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie took to the stage at the Eventim Apollo in what was one of the funniest, sweetest and musically most impressive performances I have witnessed.

For the uninitiated, FOTC is a comedy band singing about topics that range from deadly robots to hurt feelings, and span a huge range of musical genres.

The pair play a slightly heightened version of themselves: more innocent, more naive, more hilariously dull and more Kiwi than the entire Lord Of The Rings franchise.

They opened with a new song about a father and son that had the audience doubled-over almost instantly.

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Despite their penchant for long hiatuses between tours, it seems the pair have not lost a step when it comes to hilarity.

There were a good number of new songs that followed, with classics such as Robots and Albi The Racist Dragon saved for the end – and this new material went down fantastically well.

A new-ish song called The Summer Of 1353, which tells the story of a hapless man in the 1300s trying to “woo a lady” was one of those rare instances where a piece of work is so good you almost get a bit angry at it.

After all the hits they’ve written they write a new song – and it’s possibly their best yet? How dare they?

The duo has written a new song and 'it's possibly their best yet' (Image: GETTY)

Here were cleverly written jokes expertly passed off as stream-of-consciousness chat

Benedict Townsend

This number also highlighted Clement and McKenzie’s stunning (Oscar-winning) musical abilities, with pitch-perfect singing and a mastery of more instruments than anyone has the right to play.

Sections between songs were the perfect showcase for the pair’s brilliantly honed professional unprofessionalism.

Here were cleverly written jokes expertly passed off as stream-of-consciousness chat in a genuinely perfect parody of on-stage banter and bands in general.

Flight Of The Conchords are a case of “come for the music, stay for the jokes”.

Never has a story about a complimentary muffin made so many laugh so hard.

Part of the joy of Flight Of The Conchords has always been the sweetness of their personas; the simple pleasure of their naive, optimistic antics.

This feeling permeated their entire show.

It felt good to be in that room; there was a huge crowd yet it felt so intimate, like you were hanging out with your two funny mates.

Aside from the comedy and music, this feel-good factor is really what sets the band apart from other live experiences.